Improvement in the manufacture of shoes



`over a groove, f,.'formed in the last. i iig. 4,) which is formed of two pieces, 5 and-6, hinged togethcr'nt 7, the two pieces, when closed, forming un` @uiten tutes st'rnt 'ffice Io'HaBoD n. Roenes, y JOHN `WOOLDREDGE, AND GEORGE E. BARTLETT, 0E SAME PLACE. y `Letters Patent No. 71,331, dated November 26, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN THB MANUFAGTURE 0F "suora To `ALL wHoM IT MAY coNonnN:

Be it known that I, ICIIABOD R. ROGERS, of Lynn, in the county of Essex', and Stateof Massachusetts,

have invented certa-in Improvements in the Manufacture .of Boots and Shoes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. making part of this specifica` tion, in which- Figure 1 is aplan of thevbottom of a last, showingmy improved method of attaching the ,uppermthereto in theoperation of lasting Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section on the line avxof fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a transversesection on the line y y of tig. 1. Figure 4 is a perspective view, enlarged, of the sliding guide or traveller detached. In the manufacture of boots and shoes, where they are pegged, nailed, or sewed by machinery, without being turned, the upperf leather has heretofore been lasted with anfinner sole,lfor the purpose of supporting it while the outer sole was being attached. Thi's'inner sole increased the cost of the boot -Ior shoe, and

'also rendered it less iexible to the foot; andwhen thieinner and outer soles are sew'ed together, there is a liability of the`-stitches being worn out and broken at. t'liepoint of contact between the two soles.`

My invention has for its object to overcome these objections, and enable me to dispense entirely with the i inner sole, thus reducing the cost of manufacture, while the boot or shoe is rendered more flexible to thefoot, and equal to thoserwhich are made by hand without an inner sole, and turned in the process 'of making. And

my invention consists in connecting the upper `leather at the `4toe and heel, when rst placed upon the last, i by means'of a. cord, wire, or its equivalent, to whichr the edges of the upper are secured by stitches, so as to hold it tightly in place on the ylast as required, without the use of tacks, as has heretofore been customary. And my invention also consists in supporting this central cord near the bottom of the last, and preventing it from being drawn'to one side or the other, as the side stitches are being formed, by means of a guideor trav eller, provided with an eye,- which slides along the bottom of the last.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand and use my invention, I will .proeeed to describe `the .manner in which I have carried it out. i

In the said drawings, A represents the last, over which is stretched the upper B, in a. well-known manner. rA. piece of cord or twine, a, is thenlmade fast to the toe of the upper at 6, and is stretched tightly across to the heel, where-it is again made fast at e. This serves to draw the upper smoothly over. the last, in a longitudinal direction, and hold it temporarily in place. The cord a, however, may berst madefast at the' 'heel, and stretched across to the toe, if preferred. The edge of the upper is then secured all around to 'the central cord a by meansof stitches, d, the cord a'being supported in a central position, close tolthebottom of the last, and prevented fromv being drawn to one side or the other, by a guide or traveller, C, to be presently described. The bottom of the last is covered with a thin metallic plate, e, in which is cut a long- ,slot that lies In this groove j' runs the traveller C, (seen detached and enlarged in eye, 8, through which the cord a passes.

Before commencing to form the side stitches ,tlio guide C is spread apart and placed over the cord a, so

`as to coniinc it within the eye 8, and the lower ends 9 of the guide are then placed in the groovef, so that the guide may be pushed along and kept just in advance of the point where the stitch is being formed, thus sup-` porting the cord a in a central position, as before described, and when theupper is sewedall around,`as` seen in iig. 1, the traveller C is turned around, so that it can b taken out of the groove `and separated from the cord a. The last is then4 removed and the outer sole sewed on to the upperf by machinery, in a wellknown manuel'. The inner sole being thus entirely dispensed with, the bo'ot or shoe is'rendered flexible to the foot, andthe cost of manufacture is at the same time considerably reduced.

Instead of the cord a, a piece of wire, tape, or other suitable material may be used, if preferred, and Vit is evident that the upper may be secured to the last by means of the cord a and stitches d, without employing the'traveller C, although the -work cannot beso readily orperfectly performed..v I do not, therefore, wish to or LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, AsSeNoR-To HIMSELF,`

7 met '2 conine myself to its use. Instead ofthe traveller C sliding in a. groove,f, some other device muy be employed to guide it as it slides along' the bottom ofthe lust. n

Y Ulazm.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- Connecting the upper leather at the toe und heel by Ineens ofl a. cord, a,`to which the edges' of the upper are secured by stitches d, as herein described.'

I also claim, in combination with the above, the sliding guide or traveller C, with its eye 8, for supporting close to thev bottom of the last, while the stitches cl are being formed, vsubstan- I. R. ROGERS.V

the cordlz'win a central position, tia-lly as set forthl i w l Witnesses P. E. TESCHEMACHER,

N. W. STEAnNs. 

